If you’re going to Walt Disney World for a once in a lifetime trip, or even a once-a-year trip, it has probably never occurred to you to get an Annual Pass. Honestly, why would you? Those things are expensive and are only appropriate for locals that go regularly, right? Well, sometimes you have to spend money […]

If you’re going to Walt Disney World for a once in a lifetime trip, or even a once-a-year trip, it has probably never occurred to you to get an Annual Pass. Honestly, why would you? Those things are expensive and are only appropriate for locals that go regularly, right? Well, sometimes you have to spend money to save money, and believe it or not, a Walt Disney World Annual Pass can pay for itself and then some even if you only intend to go once in your entire life! How? Find out after the jump!

Saving On A Single Trip

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Imagine a family of four doing a week long trip to WDW, staying at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. One approach for a trip of this length would be to get four 7-day park hopper tickets. Each of these tickets will cost $425, including tax. An Annual Pass, which provides unlimited admission for one year, costs $696 — or $271 more — so simple math would tell you that a pass would be a waste of money, right?

There is a way to make an Annual Pass work for you in this situation. In addition to park admission, Annual Passes come with a variety of discounts, most notably on hotels and merchandise. Moreover, only ONE person in the party needs to have a pass to be able to take advantage of these discounts. Over the course of a week long trip, these discounts can more than pay for the additional cost for the Annual Pass.

Caution: Math Ahead

Here’s how it might work: this family intends to stay at the Polynesian, Theme Park View, during Regular Season, where the hotel rack rate is $862 per night. With an Annual Pass, however, they are able to take advantage of the pass holder 35% discount, or $560 for the same room, a difference of $302 per night. Spread over a week, that’s a savings of $2114 on the room alone.

While it is true that there are often room-only discounts available to the general public, those discounts historically track 5% less than the discounts available to Annual Passholders for the same property. Even as compared to the 30% discount often available to the general public during this time, however, it still represents a savings of $301 over what would be possible without the pass, which itself is sufficient to cover its cost. After that, every bit of money you save is gravy.

While it is never my goal to needlessly introduce math into my posts, a quick, cocktail napkin calculation can give you a sense of whether you’re in the ballpark of an Annual Pass saving you money:

Determine how much more expensive an Annual Pass is for one adult as compared to the ticket he or she would otherwise be purchasing.

Because there is usually a 5% spread between Annual Passholder hotel discounts and other hotel discounts, figure out the rack rate for your room over the length of your stay and multiply it by 5%.

If the second number is bigger than the first, you’ve already made up the difference in price, and getting an Annual Pass will definitely save you money. If it’s close, consider whether additional savings, discussed below, will make up the difference.

For example, if you like to buy souvenirs, having an Annual Pass will take a chunk out of that expense. The pass gives you a 10% discount on all of the merchandise you buy, which can add up if buying souvenirs is something you do. Similarly, an Annual Pass will save you money on tours, activities and hard ticket events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Take a look at the perks and discounts available to passholders, and if you would otherwise be paying full price for things that are discounted, it can push you over or well past the break even point.

Tables in Wonderland

Having an Annual Pass also gives you the ability to get a Tables in Wonderland card, which has the potential to save you a significant amount of money, depending upon how you eat. The card costs $100 and entitles you to 20% off of all food and drink, including alcohol, at most table service restaurants. If you spend more than $500 at table service restaurants — which is very easy to do over the course of a week long trip, particularly if you like a glass of wine or two with dinner — Tables in Wonderland will save you money.

This is one example, and it’s easy to see how under the right circumstances — perhaps a large family trip with multiple hotel rooms and lots of table service dining — one person in the party having an Annual Pass could be a real boon. Obviously, however, the numbers won’t work out for everyone. The hotel discounts on deluxe hotels and villas are the most dramatic (often 30-35%), and if you’re staying at a value property where the raw cost of the room is less, it is going to be tougher to hit that break even point. Ultimately, however, it always makes sense to crunch the numbers to see if an Annual Pass will save you money, particularly if you are planning a longer trip and will be staying at a deluxe resort.

Annual Trips

Maybe you’re not blowing it out for one big trip, but you do try to make it down once a year for a shorter trip. Again, an Annual Pass can save you money even if you only go once a year, provided you have some flexibility on what “once a year” means.

Example: suppose a family of four goes to Walt Disney World every January for four days. Each person buys a 4 day park hopper ticket, which comes to $393/ticket, $1,572 total. They go back the same week the following year, they spend another $1572 for another batch of four-day park hopper tickets (well, history tells us they would pay more the next year, but just bear with me for the sake of making the math easy), for a grand total of $3,144 for park tickets.

What if, instead of going back the same week, they went back one week earlier the following year, such that both of their trips fell within the same 365 day window? This family could cover park admission for both trips for the cost of four Annual passes, which comes out to $2784, for a savings of $360. This substantial savings doesn’t include the additional discounts on rooms, souvenirs and the like discussed above, or the savings you might realize using a Tables in Wonderland card that you could get by virtue of having a pass.

The point is, when budgeting for a trip, make sure you consider things like an Annual Pass or Tables in Wonderland that can have a “big picture” impact upon the cost of your trip, in addition to things that save you money on an item-by-item basis. Moreover, if you travel to Walt Disney World regularly, give some thought to whether you can reduce the overall amount of money you spend on Disney trips during a twelve month period by spending more on your first trip.

Warning

I will close with a minor warning and caveat to this recommendation, and that is that having an Annual Pass in your possession makes you much, much more likely to travel to Walt Disney World more frequently than you otherwise planned. It’s frankly a lot easier to justify a spur-of-the-moment trip when your tickets are covered and your hotel room is discounted. If you’re the sort of person that has lots of airline miles saved up, well, just brace yourself, because the itch to get yourself down to visit the Mouse will be palpable. While this is probably not a bad thing in a lot of respects, if the true impetus for getting an Annual Pass is to save money, you might have to exercise a lot of willpower to realize that goal — the raw cost of going on multiple trips will indeed eclipse any savings you realize on the trip that prompted you to get the Annual Pass in the first place!

You want to go on another Disney vacation, but where do you go? You’ve been to Walt Disney World more times than you can count and you can recall every small detail of Disneyland because you’ve covered every square inch so many times that it makes your head spin. Next you think “Maybe a Disney […]

You want to go on another Disney vacation, but where do you go? You’ve been to Walt Disney World more times than you can count and you can recall every small detail of Disneyland because you’ve covered every square inch so many times that it makes your head spin. Next you think “Maybe a Disney Cruise?” Not happening, your brother-in-law wants you to wait until little Sally (your niece’s second cousin, twice removed) graduates from sixth grade so you can all go as a family. Disneyland Paris? No way, they’re in the middle of more refurbishments than there are blades of grass on Earth. Then it comes to you, Tokyo Disneyland. You remember your curiosity being piqued from seeing pictures of DisneySea online. “Doesn’t that place have a volcano?” Hell yes it has a volcano, and I’m here to tell you that it’s awesome. You’ve found your next Disney destination, and hopefully with this Tokyo Disney Resort trip planning guide I will help you plan it.

Step 1: When to visit Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort, or TDR, is always going to have huge crowds and high wait times, especially on the weekends. I’ve spent thousands of hours in the American Disney parks but have never seen anything like the crowds during a weekend in Tokyo Disneyland. With that being said there are a few times out of the year where crowds are smaller than they usually are, but this luxury may come at the cost of poor weather or multiple attraction closures due to refurbishments.

Our friends over at TDR Explorer, which is an English Tokyo Disney Resort fansite, recommend the end of May, which has pleasant weather and mid-level crowds. My most recent trip was in mid-June. The crowds were great during the weekdays but there was also constant rain and humidity. Another good time of year to visit Tokyo Disney Resort to experience low crowds is January, but then you’ll have to deal with very cold winter temperatures. The thing to remember is to adjust your expectations for wait times no matter when you visit TDR. Even if the crowds are “low” you’re still going to be waiting over a half hour for marquee attractions like Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. But that’s a lot better than waiting 140 minutes on a busy day.

The days you should absolutely avoid Tokyo Disney Resort is during public holidays in Japan. (Wikipedia has a helpful list.) Besides holidays I recommend avoiding the parks during weekends altogether. Use that time to see the rest of Tokyo (or other parts of Japan), there’s a lot worth seeing and it’s a fun city to explore even if you don’t have any set plans.

There will be a seasonal celebration going on at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea no matter when you decide to visit. These seasonal promotions are known for their large, multi-month celebrations with elaborate shows, and parades. I’ve visited during the Halloween and Easter seasons and was surprised by the scope of it all. Tokyo Disney celebrates the main holidays like Christmas, as well as distinctly Japanese celebrations like “Tanabata Days” or “Disney Natsu Matsuri” during the summer.

You’re probably wondering how many days do you need to visit Tokyo Disney Resort to see everything. The answer I would give to any other Disney freak like myself is that any amount of days is not enough. But a more realistic answer would be three days. That way you have enough time to see as much as possible for each park on the first and second day, and then on the third day you can revisit some of your favorite rides, or see some shows and parades you may have missed the first time around.

Step 2: Buying airfare

Airfare will probably be the most expensive hurdle you have to overcome to get to Tokyo. Luckily there are several tools you can use to save as much money as possible. I recommend using AirareWatchdog.com’s fare alert feature. To set up an alert, visit AirfareWatchdog.com and click on “My Alerts” at the top of the screen. Enter your email address and then select “City-to-City Fare Alerts” from the list. You will then be prompted to type in the departure city you want to travel to Tokyo from. After this you are asked how often you want to receive alerts. If you’re really hardcore you can be sent travel alerts 7 days a week. Before my most recent trip I opted for the “2-3 time a week” alert option and was sent deals for as low as $600. Keep in mind that you’ll receive deals with a wide range of travel dates. Some could require booking and travel within the next month or two, while other deals are for over six months down the line. Last year I booked using an Airfare Watchdog alert about 7 months in advance.

A typical AirfareWatchdog deal alert email.

Another tool to use is Kayak.com’s fare forecast. To use this go to Kayak.com and click on flights. Enter the dates you are thinking about traveling and then search for fares. In the top left corner you will see a green line showing how the ticket price has fluctuated. There will also be a text line underneath that says “Advice” and “Confidence.” To test this out I’ll type in a random date right now.

As you can see the price for the dates I entered have fluctuated a bit recently. Kayak is advising me to buy the tickets now because they are 70% confident that the price will go up in the next 7 days. Kayak bases their prediction on analysis of historical price changes, and they have a good reputation.

As far as airports, you’ll either fly in to Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT). Narita is the more common of the two for flights coming in from the U.S. If you have the choice, I’d pick flying in to Haneda because it’s both closer to Tokyo, and closer to Tokyo Disney Resort. But if there is a large different in cost, go with whichever is cheaper.

Step 3: Selecting a hotel

The first thing you must decide when selecting a hotel is if you want to stay on-site or off-site. A huge benefit of staying on-site is that all hotels in Tokyo Disney Resort (both the three Disney-branded hotels, and the six non-Disney hotels) have easy access to the Tokyo Disney Resort Line, aka the monorail. This is great because it means you don’t have to take a train in from the city every morning and then transfer to the monorail before entering the park. You can simply make the 5-10 minute walk (or take the complimentary shuttle) from your hotel to Tokyo Disney Resort Line’s Bayside station, and the ride the monorail to the front entrance of Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea. It’s incredibly easy and fast, and getting in line to enter the parks as early as possible is crucial if you want to beat the crowds.

The two non-Disney on-site hotels that are most convenient for foreign travelers are Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay and Hilton Tokyo Bay. Both offer large rooms, staff that is fluent in English, good amenities, and are the two hotels closest to Tokyo Disney Resort Line Bayside station. If the prices between the two were the same I’d go with Hilton Tokyo Bay due to its large, and more modern looking rooms. But you can’t go wrong either way. You’ll be paying a slight premium to stay at these two hotels. Prices on the Hilton and Sheraton can range anywhere from $150 during some parts of the year up to $500 during the busy times of year. We have video room tours of the Hilton Tokyo Bay and Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay on our YouTube channel.

The benefit of staying offsite is, of course, the lower price per a night. But then you’ll have to rely on public transportation to get in and out of the resort. There are plenty of good, affordable hotels with a short train ride to TDR. If you want to save as much money as possible, and the thought of riding in and out of the resort on busy trains or buses does not bother you then you should go with the off-site option. Overall, it’s cost versus convenience.

The third and most lavish option is staying on-site in one of the three Disney hotels, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta, or the slightly cheaper option, Disney’s Ambassador Hotel. The benefits of these include incredible views of the parks, the closest possible distance to the parks, free Tokyo Disney Resort Line tickets (yes, the monorails cost a couple of dollars to ride), and 15 minutes early access to the parks (called “Happy 15”). 15 minutes may not seem like a lot but it’ll give you just enough time to beat the huge crowd of thousands of people running towards rides like Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek. The official Disney hotels also have the nicest theming by far, including special rooms decorated after Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and other Disney classics. You’ll pay a large price to stay at these hotels, usually in the $500 per a night range. Last year during my first trip to TDR my group of 4 decided to splurge and stay 3 nights in the official Tokyo Disney hotels (after staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay for the first 4 days of the trip), which ended up costing around $650 a night for theme park view rooms. As you can see from the pictures the view was incredible, especially at Hotel MiraCosta which is actually inside DisneySea. We have video room tours of Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Hotel MiraCosta on our YouTube channel.

The non-Disney on-site hotels (Hilton, Sheraton, etc) can all be booked via each hotel’s website, or any third party sites like Expedia or Priceline. The official Tokyo Disney Resort hotels need to be booked on the Tokyo Disney Resort Online Reservation & Tickets website, which is in full English. Please note that the official TDR hotels sell out extremely fast, sometimes as soon as the reservation window opens, which is 9 AM (JST), six months before your arrival date. When your reservation window opens, be ready and waiting at your computer.

Step 4: Buy your tickets

Tickets can be purchased at any of Tokyo Disney Resort ticket booths in front of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, but you can also purchase them online via the Tokyo Disney Resort Online Reservation & Tickets website. If you live outside of Japan, and purchase your tickets from home, your only option will be to print out the tickets, so be sure you have a printer with plenty of ink available. TDR recommends printing tickets on non-standard A4 size paper, but I’ve printed tickets using regular sized paper with no problem (your mileage may vary). Like I said before, you can also buy the tickets at the park but remember that some busy days may sell out and no more tickets will be sold. Some people may think this is worth the risk so they can have an actual ticket to keep as a souvenir. When you purchase TDR tickets you will be required to enter the dates in which you will be using the tickets. These dates cannot be changed, so if you’re going April 15 to 17 your tickets will only be valid April 15 to 17.

Current Tokyo Disney Resort Ticket Prices:

Adult
Ages 18 and over

Junior
Ages 12 – 17

Child
Ages 4 – 11

1-Day Passport

6,900 yen

6,000 yen

4,500 yen

2-Day Passport

12,400 yen

10,800 yen

8,000 yen

3-Day Magic Passport

16,600 yen

14,400 yen

10,700 yen

4-Day Magic Passport

20,800 yen

18,000 yen

13,400 yen

Starlight Passport

5,400 yen

4,700 yen

3,500 yen

After 6 Passport (same price for adults, juniors and children)

4,200 yen

4,200 yen

4,200 yen

Senior Passport (Age 60 and over)

6,200 yen

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[Current conversion rate is 1,000 Yen = 8.08 USD]

Park hopping at Tokyo Disney Resort works a bit differently than it does in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. For starters, park hopping cannot be done with 1 and 2-day tickets. 3 and 4-day tickets can park hop, but only on the third and fourth day of the tickets. That means for the first two days of your 3 and 4-day tickets, or all 1 and 2-day tickets you will be locked in to a specific park. You will be asked which parks you would like to attend when you purchase tickets online or in person, so be sure to think about that ahead of time.

Step 5: Transportation

When you arrive at Narita or Haneda you’ll need to find a way to get to TDR — luckily you have a lot of options. My favorite option is Airport Limousine Bus, which you can find outside of the airport (follow the signs or ask the information desk if you need directions). Tickets are around $20 and can be purchased at the Limousine Bus desk, or at automated ticket machines near where the bus loads. The travel time from Narita to TDR is around 60 to 90 minutes, while the travel time from Haneda to TDR is 30 to 60 minutes. You can also take the Limousine Bus back to the airport from any of the Tokyo Disney Resort on-site hotels. Tickets can be purchased from the front desk. The major downside to Limousine Bus is that they stop running around 5 PM.

Tokyo Disney Resort’s spacious, clean, and quick monorail.

Your other option to/from the airport is to use public transportation. This will be your cheapest option, but also the most intimidating to first time visitors. If you rent a mobile WiFi hotspot and pick it up from the airport (which you should absolutely, 100%, beyond a shadow of a doubt do) you can use the greatest invention of all time for travelers, Google Maps! Just type in Tokyo Disney Resort in to Google Maps and it will tell you the exact lines to take, how many stops between you and your destination, when to transfer, and the expected travel time. It works great and I wouldn’t be caught dead without it. If you’ve never been to Japan before and you’re considering using public transportation to get to your hotel from the airport, consider this: You’ve just been on a plane for over 10 hours, you spent at least 40 minutes going through customs, and maybe another 30 minutes picking up your bag, you’re exhausted and maybe not thinking clearly, and after all that you know have to use a complicated transportation system with multiple stops and transfers between you and your destination. This may not be a big deal to some people, but to others it will be.

Another option is to use a taxi, which is both the fastest and the most expensive. Make sure you’re sitting down for this one, the cost of a taxi from Narita airport to Tokyo Disney Resort can cost around $150 for a one way trip, or over $200 if you travel between 10 PM and 5 AM.

When you’re in Tokyo Disney Resort you can travel around via the Tokyo Disney Resort Line, aka the monorail. There are four stops, Resort Gateway Station (which is next to Maihama railway station), Tokyo Disneyland Station, Bayside Station (where all the non-Disney on-site hotels are located), and Tokyo DisneySea Station. Tickets cost a couple of dollars a day. The monorail runs daily 6 AM to 12 AM.

Step 6: Rent some mobile WiFi hotspots or simcards

The frivolous reason you should get a mobile WiFi hotspot is to share your experience on social media. Show people how much fun you’re having exploring Mysterious Island in DisneySea, or maybe you’ll want to show off the weird food item you just ate (bean paste and chocolate ice cream on top of mango shaved ice? Ok!). Some people like to go on vacation and disconnect from the world, I am not one of those people. The serious reason why you need to be connected to the internet is that you’re in a foreign country, obviously. What if you get lost in the city and can’t find your way back to the hotel? What if you need to let your mom know that you arrived safely? It’s not too expensive and free public WiFi isn’t easily found outside of your hotel, so for all those reasons I think renting a WiFi device is a necessity. You won’t be able to make calls or send regular texts, but iMessage (on iPhone) works, as well as any other app that uses the internet. Using iMessage to communicate with the rest of my group played a crucial roll making sure none of us got lost during the times we got separated, plus having access to the internet killed time when we were in all those long attraction lines.

So far I have used Globaladvancedcomm.com during both my trips and have had zero problems. When you’re at home you can reserve a WiFi device, or simcard if you have the right kind of phone, and then pick up the package from the post office inside the airport after you arrive in Tokyo. At the end of your trip when you’re leaving Tokyo you can simply drop it off in any post box. They provide the packing material and the postage is already paid. It’s very easy. The price as off the time this post was published is about $75 a week. I recommend renting one WiFi device for each person in your party because there will be times when groups get separated.

There are other options to rent WiFi devices, such as B-Mobile, which a lot of people recommend. Several shops inside the Tokyo airports rent WiFi devices and simcards but I found these to be expensive and severely lacking in the amount of data you can use.

Step 7: Get some foreign currency (or inform you credit card company about your trip)

Check with your bank to see if they offer currency exchange. Some banks will have online order forms where you can exchange money directly from your bank account, and they will then send the money in the mail. From my experience, most banks do not have Japanese yen on hand to do the exchange in person, but maybe yours does. Keep in mind that most banks will charge a small transaction fee when you exchange currency. Your local airport may have a kiosk where you can exchange currency, but these are infamous for their high fees.

If you don’t want to carry around cash, all of the shops and restaurants in Tokyo Disney Resort take standard US credit cards. Some shops and restaurants outside of the resort require credit cards with the “Smart Chip” inside. You will not be able to purchase anything from these retailers if you do not have a credit card with a smart chip. No matter what kind of credit card you have, be sure to call your bank before you leave home and let them know you will be traveling. If not, your credit card will probably immediately be blocked for suspicious activity. Another thing you want to watch out for is your credit card’s foreign transaction fee.

If you run out of cash, there is an ATM in Ikspiari (which is basically Tokyo Disney Resort’s Downtown Disney), which accepts American debit cards. It is located on the first floor, near the Tokyo Disney Resort Ticketing Center and a shop called Nana’s.

Step 8: Create your game plan for the parks

You’ve got your flights booked, hotel picked out, tickets purchased, internet on lock, and transportation is set. Now you need a game plan for the parks. Like we say for the American Disney parks, the morning hours are crucial for getting ahead of the crowds. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before park opening. Chances are that there will already be thousands of people in front of you, but don’t let that scare you off. You’re going to want to run and get a Fastpass first thing, and then run to another marquee attraction and ride it. For Tokyo Disneyland I recommend getting a Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek Fastpass, and then running to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. That way you’ll have two the parks marquee/exclusive attractions knocked out within the first couple of hours of the day. After this you’ll want to ride the other headliners as early as possible.

For Tokyo DisneySea, the vast majority of park guests will be running towards Toy Story Mania. The morning rush for that ride is insane. Unlike the other rides of the same name at TDR, Toy Story Mania is exactly the same as it is in the states. Also, I’m going to assume you’ve ridden that enough times in Disney California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and advise you to skip it. Instead head to Journey to the Center of the Earth get a Fastpass, and then go and ride Tower of Terror. Alternatively you may want to get a Journey to the Center of the Earth Fastpass, and then immediately jump in the stand-by line. You’ll want to ride it multiple times anyway, and this is a good way to do so. Disney Tourist Blog has fantastic 1-day touring plans for Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea.

Be sure to make use of single rider lines at both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. At Tokyo Disneyland, Splash Mountain offers a single rider line. This is a big help because it’s one of the most popular attractions in the park and not that many people use the single rider line so your wait will be very short. At DisneySea, Raging Spirits and Indiana Jones Adventure both offer single rider lines. There won’t be any signs for single rider lines. To enter them walk up to the start of Fastpass queue and tell the cast member that you are a single rider. It should go without saying but you and your party will be split up if you use the single rider line.

The popular shows Once Upon a Time and One Man’s Dream II in Tokyo Disneyland, and Big Band Beat in DisneySea use a free ticket lottery system to guarantee entry. I recommend that you skip One Man’s Dream II but for sure see Once Upon a Time (a night time spectacular that features castle projections, music, and fireworks) and Big Band Beat (a stage show with live music, excellent performers and Mickey Mouse playing the drums and tap dancing). In Tokyo Disneyland the lottery location in a building to the left of Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. In DisneySea, it is located near Gondolier Snacks in Mediterranean Harbor. To enter you input your party size and then scan your ticket. Now here’s where the lottery portion of the deal comes in, the screen will then tell you if you’ve “won” or not. If you win a ticket will be printed out with your seat number and show time. If you don’t win you will not be able to enter the ticket lottery again for that day. For Big Band Beat there may be some stand-by seating available, so you should get in line at the Broadway Theater in American Waterfront about an hour before show time. If you don’t win the lottery for Once Upon a Time you can get a spot anywhere in Tokyo Disneyland’s central hub and have a pretty good spot to watch the show.

Food recommendations

Get ready to take a lot of pictures of your food.

I love food and especially Disney food, luckily Tokyo Disney Resort has tons of great options. Last year I ranked every single snack and meal I consumed during a 4 day trip, and the total number of items ended up being 25. Chances are that you aren’t as crazy as I am, and you probably won’t want to eat that much food, but your mouth and stomach won’t be disappointed if you do. Some must try restaurants include Hungry Bear Restaurant (great curry), Magellan’s (one of the best Disney restaurants on earth), Sherwood Garden Buffet (the best buffet on property), and Queen of Hearts Royal Banquet Hall (photogenic food items). There’s also dozens of small snacks you’ll want to try. When I’m in the parks I find myself examining the menu of every food cart and kiosk I pass in the hopes of finding some new delicious treat. Check out my previous blog post on Tokyo Disney Resort food for more recommendations.

Hopefully using these steps you’ll be able to plan the perfect Tokyo Disney Resort vacation. If you have been before I’d love to hear any tips or strategies you may have picked up while you were there. If you’ve never been, feel free to leave any questions or comments below.

Another day, another closure. The Magic of Disney Animation has seen its last pen stroke, adding it to the ever-lengthening list of attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that have been shuttered without any replacements announced. Indeed, in the time it’s taken you to read this opening paragraph, Disney has probably closed 3 more attractions. With this […]

The Sorcerer’s Hat is one of many recent departures from Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Another day, another closure. The Magic of Disney Animation has seen its last pen stroke, adding it to the ever-lengthening list of attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that have been shuttered without any replacements announced. Indeed, in the time it’s taken you to read this opening paragraph, Disney has probably closed 3 more attractions. With this being the state of affairs, you may be thinking that there’s no good reason to bother with Hollywood Studios in its current form and that you should cross it off your list until some time in the 2020’s — and that seems to be a popular refrain within the Disney fan community.

This perception notwithstanding, however, the reality is that most of the closures were of attractions that were already waning in popularity, while the things that have served as the backbone of the park over recent years are still alive and well. While it would be tough to argue that Hollywood Studios is a “must-do” or that you should build a vacation around it at this point in its life cycle, there remain plenty of good reasons to pay it a visit:

Top Tier Attractions

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – a must do for many

While Hollywood Studios may not have many attractions at the moment, the attractions they do have are some of the most sought after experiences on Disney property. First and foremost, it is the home to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which was recently ranked by a panel of experts as the single best attraction at Walt Disney World. Family-friendly line-filler Toy Story Midway Mania also calls it home, as does the only roller coaster in Walt Disney World that contains any inversions: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. Finally, the park hosts Fantasmic!, a not-to-be-missed nighttime spectacular that continues to fill the amphitheater every time it runs. Simply put, skipping Hollywood Studios means skipping some of the best attractions Walt Disney World has to offer.

Exclusive Properties

Disney Junior – Live on Stage!

What Hollywood Studios lacks in volume of attractions, it makes up for in gravitas of its properties. The Disney Junior characters have a small — pun very much intended –but rabid following; and unlike Mickey and the ubiquitous Princesses that can be found in multiple locations, if your little one wants to see them, Hollywood Studios is your only option to make that happen. Whether it’s character dining at Hollywood & Vine, enjoying/enduring Disney Junior – Live on Stage!, or just meeting Doc McStuffins, Sophia the First, and Handy Manny at the Animation Courtyard, the Studios is the only place to give your child this experience.

Oh yeah, and there’s also this little thing called Star Wars that only maintains a presence at the Studios. Setting aside Star Wars Weekends when the Force is exceptionally strong with this park, guests can experience Star Tours – The Adventure Continues, watch their little Padawans in the Jedi Training Academy, and take advantage of several great photo opportunities every day at Hollywood Studios. Perhaps more importantly, it’s the only park at Walt Disney World with any meaningful Star Wars presence at all, so if you’re a fan and you’re looking to get your fix, it’s the Studios or nowhere.

Frozen

While not an “exclusive” on account of Anna and Elsa still holding court at Princess Fairytale Hall, Hollywood Studios is the primary steward of the Frozen brand until the Maelstrom makeover and the Arendelle-ification of Norway in Epcot that is scheduled to launch in 2016. As of this writing, Frozen Summer Fun is in full swing, and that means that in addition to Frozen-themed parades and dance parties, the Frozen Fireworks Spectacular is happening most nights — that makes two, count ‘em, two nighttime spectaculars at Hollywood Studios, and the Frozen fireworks are truly exceptional. Even if you’re not able to make it in time for Frozen Summer Fun, you can still experience For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. Two things are undeniably true about this show:

Frozen Sing Along – Elsa and Anna, photo credit Kylene Hamulak

There’s nothing groundbreaking about it. The show is basically clips from the movie overlaid with live actors to retell the Frozen story. In my experience, the performers are talented and entertaining, but objectively speaking, there’s just not too much to the show.

Your Frozen-crazy kids will love it anyway. Every time I looked over at my daughter during the show, she was either singing at the top of her lungs or smiling ear to ear. It may not be a technological marvel, but it’s pretty effective for its intended audience.

Moreover, the Frozen Sing-a-Long can usually be experienced without expending a FastPass+ reservation, as most shows can be experienced stand-by without an issue.

Unique Dining Opportunities

50’s Prime Time Cafe

Hollywood Studios contains several table service dining experiences that are wholly unlike anything that you can find elsewhere at Walt Disney World. The Hollywood Brown Derby delivers consistently excellent food and is routinely ranked as one of the best restaurants by our readers — plus, it provides an opportunity to try the original version of the now-classic Cobb Salad. For those who put more emphasis upon atmosphere than haute cuisine, both 50’s Prime Time Cafe and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant provide the opportunity to dine in fun, highly themed environments that can’t be found elsewhere.

Streetmosphere

Citizens of Hollywood – Courtesy of Disney

The Citizens of Hollywood, a roving band of improv performers that pop up along Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards at the Studios, do a fantastic job of setting an “old Hollywood” mood and giving the park a lively, fun atmosphere. If ever you’re walking into the park and hear a large group of guests laughing, there is a very good chance the Citizens of Hollywood are in the midst of a show. The performers are highly skilled, the shows are always entertaining, and because the show is driven by the interactions they have with the crowd, you’ll see a different show pretty much every time. Other parks have their own version of streetmosphere as well, but the Citizens of Hollywood are the gold standard for this sort of spontaneous entertainment.

If You’ve Never Seen It, It’s New To You

One of the common complaints about Hollywood Studios is that it is largely show driven and once you’ve seen those shows — many of which are quite lengthy — there’s not a lot of incentive to expend the time and effort to see them again. If you’ve never been to Hollywood Studios before, however, this is obviously not an impediment, and indeed, there are several classic, high quality shows such as Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage and Muppet*Vision 3D that are most definitely worth experiencing. In fact, if you’re visiting the Studios for the first time, you could very easily piece together an entire days worth of activity with the numerous shows to experience.

So, Are You Ready To Book a Weeklong Trip Dedicated to Hollywood Studios Yet?

It is no secret at this point that Hollywood Studios is poised for a significant overhaul, and that the park is going to be in a state of flux for some time. With this being the case, it would be tough to make a full-throated argument that you should plan your trip around Hollywood Studios, or that it will be on par with the other parks any time soon. It clearly needs some love.

To borrow from Mark Twain, however, the reports of the Studios’ death have been greatly exaggerated, and there are still plenty of good reasons to pay it a visit on your next trip. The thrill rides, shows and characters that have been the primary draws to Hollywood Studios are still there, and it is also home to several unique experiences that can’t be found elsewhere at Walt Disney World. The point is, if you otherwise have time in your vacation, don’t be dissuaded by the doomsayers that suggest that it isn’t worth your time!

I’m very curious to hear your take on the state of Hollywood Studios. Do you still plan to visit on your next trip, and where does it fall on your list of priorities? I look forward to your feedback in the comments!

If you caught my previous article on planned spontaneity and MyMagic+, there is one flaw you might have noticed – it requires that you know far in advance that you are taking a trip to Walt Disney World. So the question is, “How do you plan for spontaneity when you decide to take a trip […]

If you caught my previous article on planned spontaneity and MyMagic+, there is one flaw you might have noticed – it requires that you know far in advance that you are taking a trip to Walt Disney World. So the question is, “How do you plan for spontaneity when you decide to take a trip in the next 30 days?”

Before I launch into my method for planned spontaneity for last-minute trips, I first want to make one tiny thing clear: you don’t have to plan for spontaneity to be spontaneous on a trip to Disney World. (Don’t be alarmed, you read that right.) If you want to go sans FastPass+ and wing it with restaurants, you will still be able to have an awesome time. I prefer to use MyMagic+ to its fullest, and for me that means planning in such a way that I can go off-book about 50% of the time and have a plan the other 50%. If you’re a planner like I am, then this should be right up your alley.

A few years ago I would never have thought that I could plan a last-minute trip. I used to be a person who planned a single trip to Disney World a year, and I usually had the dates picked out more than a year in advance. (What can I say, I’m a planner!) Everything changed in March of 2014. We had the hardest, longest, most brutal Michigan winter that you can imagine, and the end was nowhere in sight. (I still remember the countless Elsa memes flying around Facebook…) When I say that my husband and I were going completely crazy, that is not an exaggeration. Then out of the blue, I made an off-the-wall suggestion. Let’s go to Disney World. In two weeks.

Is that… the sun?! Cue opening theme from The Lion King!

(Cue the sound of squealing brakes.) A five day trip that would take place in two weeks. Honestly, that was my nightmare. No time to plan out our Advanced Dining Reservations, and no opportunity to have the pick of the litter for our FastPass+ selections. And only five days? Up until this point we’d always taken trips that were a full week, and I was reluctant to break out of my comfort zone. But we needed this. Almost the instant the suggestion left my lips, I knew there was no going back. Spoiler alert – to this day, that trip ranks as my #1 favorite trip to Disney World of all time.

That particular visit changed my attitude about a lot of things. We’re now Annual Passholders who make frequent short trips to Disney World, in addition to our more traditional week-long excursions. I also learned that I can (gasp!) be flexible in regards to planning our itinerary. Getting to this point required an extreme overhaul to my regular system of planning, but it was well worth it in the end! What follows are my steps for leveraging MyMagic+ to its highest potential during a last-minute trip, while also leaving in room for some spontaneous fun (in addition to the spontaneous fun you automatically get out of a trip like this!).

Sometimes I need a little help reconciling…

1) Reconcile yourself to the fact that you’re going to have to make some compromises. (Okay, this step might just be for me…)

The hardest thing for me to come to grips with in planning my first last-minute trip was the fact that, if I wanted to get the most out of MyMagic+ , I had to let go of the idea that I could do everything I wanted to do. And (because I’m me) I actually had to stop and mentally prepare myself. The end goal was going to be the same in planning this trip as it was for all of my previous trips – cluster our ADRs and FastPass+ selections in such a way that we will have unplanned blocks of time to do anything we want. As you might have predicted, the next step in this process is to:

The Crowd Calendar is ALWAYS going to be an important factor in my planning, regardless of the circumstances of the trip. There is a lot to be gained by being in a less crowded park, particularly when you are making a lot of your itinerary up on the fly, and this is a step I would never skip. The goal here is to figure out what you want your anchor park to be for each day of your visit. This is a fairly major deviation from my usual process, where I lean on my ADRs as my anchors for the day. With a last-minute trip I’ve found that it is easier to work backwards, choosing the park first and then basing everything else on that.

A little extra time in Magic Kingdom is always a win!

For example, let’s say you are taking a four-day trip and you have a Park Hopper or you are an Annual Passholder. You know you want to visit all four parks, but you don’t necessarily want to focus as much time on Hollywood Studios as you do Magic Kingdom. An easy way to accomplish this is to pick the two best days to visit Magic Kingdom, based on the Crowd Calendar, and make Magic Kingdom your anchor for those two days. Use the same method to place Epcot and Animal Kingdom as anchors. You’ll still visit Hollywood Studios, but you’ll do it with some of your “spontaneous time.” This will give you the extra time you want in the Magic Kingdom and keep you from getting bogged down by an ADR in a park that you aren’t as excited about (I, for one, also see more value in spending my three FastPass+ selections in Magic Kingdom than in Hollywood Studios right now, but I digress…).

In the case of a last-minute trip, I abandon the idea of making a comprehensive dining list and being discerning (*cough* – picky) about where we’re going to eat. Instead, I lean on my anchor park and see what’s available. Let’s go back to our hypothetical example and let’s say that the first day of the trip is designated as an Epcot day. You know you want to catch IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, so that means you need to be in Epcot for at least the latter part of the day. All that remains is picking a time that you think would work well for a meal and checking the Disney dining reservations website for restaurant availability in Epcot at your designated time. I’ll admit it; it is possible that you’re going to be faced with slim pickings.

What I normally do is (try to) view this as an opportunity for something new by choosing a restaurant that I haven’t tried before. Let’s face it, many of the popular restaurants get booked because the food is fantastic or the atmosphere is perfect or the characters are top-notch. The leftovers (that’s the official term used in my brain) are usually fine, but they might not be blow-you-away awesome. A last minute trip is the PERFECT time to give less sought out (or hard to get to, like the Hoop Dee Doo Revue) restaurants a chance! So I book something open in the vicinity of the park I plan to be in around a time I know I’ll be there, and I do this for each day of the trip.

Sometimes a last-minute trip can lead you somewhere awesome – like the Hoop Dee Doo Revue!

4) Make your FastPass+ selections (interchangeable with step 3).

The other major piece of the planning puzzle is your FastPass+ selections. Your awesome deductive powers may have tipped you off that I view steps 3 and 4 as entirely interchangeable. Which one you tackle first will depend upon what you view as the highest priority. Personally, I usually go for the ADRs first. When I’ve tried to do it in the reverse order, I often end up having to move FastPass+ times after the fact, since ADRs can be a little trickier in regards to availability and timing.

This is what I would classify as the most challenging step (aside from step 1) of this process, and I also find it to be quite the emotional roller coaster if I’m taking a last-minute trip during a peak travel time. It usually goes something like this (and I’m going to personify this, Inside Out style):

Oh, look, all three attractions I want to experience are available! (Joy is dancing around in my head.)

WHAT times are available? You’ve got to be kidding me. (Disgust has taken over.)

Okay, I’ll switch it around. I guess I’ll have to skip Spaceship Earth. (Sadness slumps on the floor in a corner.)

Captain EO?! (Fear faints.)

Argggghhhh! Stop trying to change my Tier 1 selection to Living with the Land!! (Anger’s head bursts into a pyrotechnic frenzy.)

And now… Wait for it… Just a little more maneuvering… Victory! I can live with all three selections and they’re clustered near my ADR time. (The five emotions have reconciled and are singing Kumbayah.)

Remember, FastPass+ selections are not going to make or break your trip. Slowing down to take it all in is just as important.

Having led you through that dramatic re-enactment, I would like to point out that there are also times when FastPass+ selections are not that intense. If you’re closer to the 30 day mark (especially if you’re visiting at a slower time of year), you might very well get everything you want in the exact time frame that you want. If you’re on the other end of the spectrum and traveling during peak season, your choices will be more limited. Just don’t forget the objective in booking these FastPass+ selections:they must be clustered around your ADR time in order to give you a large, unplanned block of time for your spontaneous wanderings.

Regardless of what order you approach steps 3 and 4, don’t be surprised if you end up having to do some tweaking to either your ADRs or your FastPass+ selections. This is when you’ll have to make some compromises in one area or the other in order to complete your mission of planned spontaneity.

5) Embrace the excitement of a last minute trip!

By planning a last minute trip, you pretty much already embraced the idea of spontaneity. But being the savvy planner you are, you’ve now built just enough structure into your trip that you can still reap the benefits of MyMagic+. You won’t be wandering around, hungry and annoyed, trying to find an opening at a table service restaurant. And who knows, maybe you’ll absolutely LOVE Nine Dragons. The best part is, you barely even came up with the idea of a trip to Disney World, and you’re already in the final countdown to when it begins!

At this point, the advanced course in planned spontaneity circles back to my original, long-term planning process. To sum it up, be spontaneous and be willing to improvise, adapt, and overcome whatever challenges might arise during your travels. If you’ve never had the opportunity to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Disney World (and you have the means to do it), I would wholeheartedly suggest that you give it a try! Our last-minute trip in March of 2014 was a defining moment that reigns at the top of my list of Disney World trips. (Remember in Tangled when Rapunzel is swinging around yelling out, “Best. Day. Ever!”? It was just like that, but with cupcakes.)

Best. Day. Ever.

I’d love to hear about the shortest amount of time you’ve planned a trip in. Do you have any insider secrets for making a last-minute trip extra special? Please share in the comments!

Today we are visiting one of my favorite on property breakfast experiences: Whispering Canyon Café. I say experience because it is so much more than just a place to eat. Whispering Canyon is a place to laugh and have a good time. It is a character breakfast of sorts, but not with your traditional Disney […]

Today we are visiting one of my favorite on property breakfast experiences: Whispering Canyon Café. I say experience because it is so much more than just a place to eat. Whispering Canyon is a place to laugh and have a good time. It is a character breakfast of sorts, but not with your traditional Disney characters and at no additional cost; No Princesses, Mickey, or other Fab Five member here. The characters I am referring to are the wonderful Cast Member waiters and waitresses. They bring the restaurant alive, and keep our family coming back for more.

What: Whispering Canyon Café
Where: located directly off the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge
When: Breakfast is served every day 7:30-11:30am“The goings-on can get a little loud, and that’s just the way we like it.”

To play or not to play.

Our last waitress, M.T., was a real hoot. We had a blast with her sarcastic humor. She knew how to work her “audiences” as well. She could read the patrons at her table perfectly and acted accordingly. The table to our left was a family with 3 children. She joked with the children and even put one of them “in jail”. The large table to our right was not in the mood for fun. They had clearly just come to eat breakfast and not partake in any of the shenanigans. M.T. reacted accordingly and they got your normal no-fun-all-business waitress. They were perfectly content. We have a darker sense of humor and she seemed to tune right in to it. We were in stiches before our order was even taken.

We were sat along the railing overlooking the lobby. As usual we each received a cardboard disc similar to a drink coaster. One side of the disc reads “Jump in and Play”, while the other reads “Watch from the fence”. We placed ours to “Jump in and Play” since that is partly what we came for.

All-You-Care-To-Eat

The breakfast menu at Whispering Canyon consists of your typical American breakfast food: pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage. What they are most known for is the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Breakfast platter. The meal costs $16.49 for adults (kids version is $8.49) and is served in a large cast iron skillet. The skillet has scrambled eggs, western home fries, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffles, buttermilk biscuits, and sausage gravy. And when you finish it, they bring you another! For this trip we decided to both get the skillet. It was very filling, but nothing extraordinary about it. In the future we will probably go back to our favorite: Jeffro Bodeen’s Belgian Waffle (Belgian waffle with maple butter and candied pecan topping with a side of bacon or sausage).

If you have ever been to Whispering Canyon you know all about the dangers of asking for ketchup. When our food was served I was apprehensive. My naked eggs were begging for the condiment, but I can be a real introvert and didn’t want all eyes in the restaurant on me. When M.T. asked if either of us needed ketchup I quickly reached over and flipped my participation disc to “Watch from the Fence” and answered yes. M.T. was not having any of my shenanigans. She grabbed my disc and threw it Frisbee style into the lobby, called me snotty, and walked away. She probably couldn’t have gotten away with that anywhere else. And we thought it was great. A minute later she came back with my ketchup. We continued laughing throughout the rest of the meal as she picked on me. It was one of the most entertaining breakfast experiences we have had at Disney.

For the price of the breakfast, the experience at Whispering Canyon is worth it. We have never had a “dud” for a waiter or waitress, and if I could request M.T. again I would. Reservations are suggested and can be made online or by calling 407-939-5277. You will need a credit card to reserve. If you end up at the Canyon for breakfast, tell M.T. we said hi!

MyMagic+. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality of Walt Disney World vacations. Whether you are making dining reservations at 180 days or FastPass+ selections at 60 days, MyMagic+ is enough to make your average spontaneous vacation-goer break out in hives. Like me, I’m sure you’ve heard — an possibly participate it — talk […]

MyMagic+. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality of Walt Disney World vacations. Whether you are making dining reservations at 180 days or FastPass+ selections at 60 days, MyMagic+ is enough to make your average spontaneous vacation-goer break out in hives. Like me, I’m sure you’ve heard — an possibly participate it — talk of the good old days, where paper FASTPASSES were king and you could always find a walk-up reservation. Alas, we live in the now, and right now planning ahead is the name of the game. So, what is an impulsive tourist to do?

I’m going to preface my answer by first calling myself out as the type-A, uber planner that I am. I’m absolutely thrilled to have joined the Touring Plans team, in part because Touring Plans has fed my Walt Disney World planning obsession for years. It’s true, I think MyMagic+ is about as awesome as your average Disney cupcake, but I understand that I might be the minority on this one. (Don’t judge me!) But just because I am a planner, that doesn’t mean my traveling party is, so I’ve managed to develop a formula for leveraging MyMagic+ to its fullest advantage while leaving in room for those fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants types.

Looking to fly by the seat of your pants?

At this point I’m sure you’re asking, “What is this magical Disney secret?! Open those gates so I may unlock your secrets and exploit your riches!” (Humor me, people.) Are you ready for the big reveal? My huge secret to Disney happiness? This is it: I PLAN FOR SPONTANEITY. Before you start calling me crazy, follow my train of thought on this one. I know that if I want to eat at the restaurants I want, I have to make the reservations far in advance. I know that if I want to ride the rides I want, I have to book my FastPass+ selections as soon as the window opens. No matter what, these two things hold true. So if I want to have an unscheduled block of time to do whatever I decide in the moment, I have to plan for it.

Easier said than done, right? Not necessarily. I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my approach, and while it may not be perfect, it is pretty serviceable, if I do say so myself. I’ll walk you through my method step-by-step, and perhaps you’ll find some aspects that will work for your traveling party!

Whispering Canyon, anyone?

1) Get a basic idea of the restaurants where you would like to dine.

Do I really know where I want to eat 180 days out? No, but I can generally come up with a vague idea of the restaurants we’re interested in. I’ll usually start by polling the other members of my traveling party to see if they have any requests. And if that doesn’t work? I start picking places we’ve never visited or places we absolutely adore to pad my restaurant list. My goal with the first step is to come up with about 10-15 places (for a week-long trip) on the potential restaurant list. Don’t focus on where the restaurants are located or which days you want to visit them; this is about creating a serviceable list you can pull from (make sure you mark your must-dos). This can actually be turned into a fun activity that will help build anticipation for your trip! (Stick with me – I promise we’ll get to the spontaneous part.)

The next step is where I start to whittle things down. No matter how many times I visit Disney World, I always let the Crowd Calendar do some of the planning for me. (My Touring Plans subscription is a lynchpin in my planning process.) Start with a basic idea of how many times you want to visit each park. For example, if I’m going for a week and I know that we want to visit the Magic Kingdom at least twice on the trip, I look for the two least crowded days on the Crowd Calendar. Then I check the Epcot days based on how many days we want to visit Epcot. And so on. Sometimes I go in with no preconceptions whatsoever and pick the parks based entirely on the predicted crowd levels. Regardless of how I choose, I need to make a rough list of which parks are my best bet for each day of my trip. (Seriously – the spontaneous part is coming!)

Thanks to the Crowd Calendar, I knew July 3rd would have the majesty of the 4th with fewer crowds!

3) Park + Restaurant = Decision

At this point I have a list of restaurants and I have a list of which parks I’m visiting on which days. All I do now is crosscheck, pulling restaurants from the list that coordinate with the park I’ve chosen for the day. Some of the restaurants will be at resorts, so I match those up with parks based on vicinity. (A meal at Beaches & Cream, for example, will be paired up with an Epcot day.) If I have must-do restaurants, I place them first. Then I fill based on what’s left. Sometimes my lists don’t match up very well, and I might have to pick one or two new restaurants to make it work with the parks I’ve chosen. Or I’ll have to move a park day around based on the restaurants on my must-do list. I’ll always have to eliminate restaurants, as the list I made was meant to include more restaurants than we’d actually visit.

Anchor your day with a reservation!

Now this is the point where I get strategic with planning for spontaneity. I almost always plan for only one table-service restaurant a day. That is my anchor for the day. If I am eating at Crystal Palace, my anchor is in the Magic Kingdom. That means that a portion of my day will most certainly be in Magic Kingdom. The goal is to place that reservation at a time that keeps my options open.

The easiest way to do this is by making either a breakfast or a dinner reservation. Breakfast means that I’m going to be in Magic Kingdom that morning, but with no other reservations that day, my evening is wide-open. I can park-hop, chill at the resort, shop at Disney Springs, or simply stay in the Magic Kingdom for a marathon day. Dinner is the reverse. I can sleep in and decide what I want to do that morning, with no obligation to be anywhere until my 7:00 PM dinner reservation. Lunch splits the difference, but it does hamper one’s schedule a bit more than breakfast or dinner, so that is something to keep in mind. By anchoring either the beginning or end of your day, you’re making it possible to have huge, unplanned sections of time to follow your whims.

Toy Story Midway Mania without FastPass+? NEVER!

4) Don’t forget those FastPass+ selections!

Hypothetically speaking, you made your restaurant reservations quite a while ago, but your FastPass+ selection window doesn’t open until 30-60 days before your vacation. I always lean on my anchor; I know for certain I will be in the Magic Kingdom in the morning on a specific day because I have a Crystal Palace breakfast reservation. So I will make my FastPass+ selections based on that fact. My goal with this step is to book FastPass+ times that don’t obligate me to stay in the Magic Kingdom for the entire day. I want a wide-open window to do whatever I want, and clustering my FastPass+ selections around my meal reservation is extremely helpful in providing that window.

5) Be spontaneous.

You’ve made your FastPass+ selections, based on your anchor restaurant, chosen in part by the crowd calendar… what do you do now? Relax! You’ve planned a small portion of each day of your trip, and you did it based on places you want to go and things you want to see anyway. Embrace the fact that all of the planning is done. Think about all of the time on your vacation that is wide-open. You clustered your activities together each day, and you can do ANYTHING YOU WANT for the rest of the trip. Why? Because you planned for spontaneity. You built it into the foundation of the trip.

There is one thing you can’t forget, and that is that no matter how much or how little you plan, stuff happens and things change and you will inevitably find yourself facing the unexpected at some point during the trip. My mantra is always, “Improvise, adapt, and overcome!” It’s okay to have a beautifully thought out plan, but it is also okay to toss that plan out the window when you need to. MyMagic+ is not a prison sentence, and it is okay to say, “To heck with it! I WANT TO GO TO EPCOT!” (Keep in mind there can be penalties for cancelling restaurant reservations, so you have to decide if it is worth it to you.) FastPass+ selections can be changed as easily as moods, and just because you scored that Anna and Elsa selection at midnight 60 days out, that does not mean you have to use it.

The instant I start treating my Disney vacation like a checklist where I have to mark accomplishments off is the instant I’ve lost some of the magic. And if I decide that I want to buy 5 cupcakes from various locations in the Magic Kingdom and go back to my resort to gorge on them while watching Netflix instead of using my Wishes FastPass+ selection, that is okay! At the end of the day, I go on vacation because I want to be happy. So I plan what I can plan in the least obtrusive way possible, and I leave my options open. If circumstances dictate (like a strong desire to consume massive quantities of cupcakes), I’m willing to adapt. Yes, I schedule spontaneity for my trips to Disney. Scheduling spontaneity means that I’m less likely to go off-book at random times (like when I might get a penalty for cancelling a dinner reservation). But I also embrace the actually spontaneous spontaneity (yes, that’s a thing), by being willing to call an audible when circumstances change.

With that, you have my complete Disney World planning process. It has its flaws (like still being dependent on knowing 6 months in advance that you are taking a trip to Disney World), but I hope that it has provided you with some helpful nuggets that can be applied to your Disney adventures. (And don’t worry; last-minute trips are covered in my advanced course. Stay tuned!) Do you have your own methods for building spontaneity into your trips? Ways to improve upon my approach? Please share in the comments!

I’ve read many a post on what to bring to Walt Disney World. In fact, I’ve even written about the topic here and here! However, I don’t often see posts on how to maximize the space in ones suitcase. So, today I bring you just that. Whether its a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, here are […]

I’ve read many a post on what to bring to Walt Disney World. In fact, I’ve even written about the topic here and here! However, I don’t often see posts on how to maximize the space in ones suitcase. So, today I bring you just that. Whether its a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, here are my space-saving tips!

Note: This article is targeting toward a more casual vacation. I’m hopeless when it comes to packing for business & formal events. Huge overpacker.

Make a packing list

For me, this is crucial. It is the ONLY way I won’t forget anything. As you place the item in the suitcase, cross it off your list. This may also prevent you from overpacking.

Extra tip: The night before, I like to make a list of all the last minute items I’ll need to add (i.e. phone charger, toothbrush) the morning I leave.

Avoid Over-Packing Clothing

This one is hard and something I’m still figuring out. What I started doing is packing two more days of outfits than I actually need. That way, if my flight home gets cancelled or I get drenched (Thanks Splash Mountain), I have extras.

However, my one idea doesn’t really help you. So, I did some additional research to see how else we can all put an end to overpacking. Here’s what I learned:

Research weather ahead of time so you know exactly what to dress for — I feel like this one is a no-brainer, but decided to include it anyway.

Extra Tip: When I travel to Florida, I typically bring one pair of jeans and one sweatshirt/jacket with me in case of a cold day. I’ll often wear the sweatshirt on the plane as it’s bulky and I tend to get cold on the plane.

Select a similar color palette: If all of your clothing colors go together, it will be easy to mix and match your outfits.

Re-wear your bottoms: Pack 2-3 tops for every pair of bottoms.

Toiletries

Miniaturize your toiletries: Go to the Dollar Store and pick up those small travel bottles to fill with shampoo and conditioner. Better yet, use the shampoo and conditioner provided at your hotel. It’ll save you room (If you do choose to bring liquid toiletries, put them in a Ziploc bag to prevent any spills from leaking into your luggage).

Go for the travel toothpaste, shaving cream, etc: I justify this expense as I typical get two trips worth of use out of these items.

Put medicine in small sandwich baggies or a weekly pill box: Bring a few extra days worth in case your trip is extended.

1. Layer the Clothes2. Fold in half3. Roll, roll, roll!

The Actual Packing Process

Rolling clothes: This is a tried and true tip….especially when packing for kids. Not only does it reduce wrinkles (and save space), but it’s a great way to organize your clothing into outfits. I’ll layer my entire outfit on top of my shirt, (see photo) fold in half and roll into a bundle. It saves time in the morning (grab and go!) and I don’t have to worry about where to put socks and undergarments.

Air compression bags: I’ve actually used these successfully! When my daughter was a newborn, I had to pack twice as many outfits in case of a spit-up or blow-out issue. I used a space saver bag and just rolled all the air out…no vacuum required! Keep in mind that while this technique really does save space, it will also make your suitcase heavier as you’ll have more room to add extra items. Weigh your suitcase before traveling to ensure you don’t go over the 50 pound limit (or 40 if you’re flying Allegiant).

Shoes: Shoes can take up so much room! If at all possible, try to limit to two pairs. When I go to WDW, I wear my sneakers and pack flip flops/sandals in my suitcase. To keep from mixing dirty shoes with clean clothes, I put them in a plastic grocery bag and tie shut.

If you absolutely insist on packing several pairs of shoes, use the insides to pack smaller items such as chargers, socks and the like.

I hope my ideas help you in any future packing endeavors and before I go, here are two last minute tips. Good luck!

For some people, maintaining religious practices is important even on vacation. Although Walt Disney World is not immediately thought as a destination for people of faiths, it’s popularity and universal themes for all people does mean that people of all faiths come to the vacation capital of the world. Here are some of the resources […]

For some people, maintaining religious practices is important even on vacation. Although Walt Disney World is not immediately thought as a destination for people of faiths, it’s popularity and universal themes for all people does mean that people of all faiths come to the vacation capital of the world. Here are some of the resources for finding a house of worship, descriptions of special events or attractions of interest for faith communities, and some additional religion-specific information for three of the major religions in the United States.

Christianity

Technically there is a small church at Walt Disney World — a model visible from the PeopleMover. (Photo by Julia Mascardo)

Like many other large American cities, the Orlando area has churches of almost every denomination thinkable. While there are not generally church services on Disney property (the exception being Easter services often held at the Contemporary Resort), there are many churches within a short drive or taxi ride. Some of the churches specifically cater to visiting tourists, but local non-tourist-driven churches are also accepting of visitors. For a listing of churches in the area around Disney, you can search on web sites like ChurchFinder.com or FaithStreet.com. The nearest towns to search in would be Celebration, Kissimmee, Winter Garden, Windermere, Clermont, and Orlando (although especially for Orlando, you’ll want to check the location of the church as places with Orlando mailing addresses can be anywhere from five miles to twenty-five miles from Walt Disney World). For zip codes, try 32821, 32836, 34714, 34747, 34786, or 34787. If you are searching for houses of worship for a specific denomination, your best bet is to use a search engine to search for “(name of denomination) near Walt Disney World”.

At Walt Disney World, there are a few events during the year that may be of interest to members of the Christian faith.

During the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, make sure to look for the life-size nativity scene done in lights. A must-do for people of faith is the inspirational Candlelight Processional. Many of the storytellers around Epcot for the holidays also have wonderful connections to Christianity, including La Befana’s search for the Christ child and, in past, the Three Kings in Mexico.

The Candlelight Processional is a spectacular retelling of the Christmas story. (Photo by Julia Mascardo)

For two nights in September, the Magic Kingdom holds a hard-ticket after-hours event called Night of Joy. This event is billed as a time to “soak up the spirited sounds of a contemporary music festival featuring performances by Christian superstars in rock, pop, and gospel.”

Outside of Walt Disney World, there are two major religious tourism attractions in the area. The larger is The Holy Land Experience, located on Vineland Road, just beyond Universal Studios. With attractions based on the Garden of Eden, the world’s largest indoor model of Jerusalem, and a procession of Jesus to the cross, this is not your typical theme park experience.

Although not as prevalent as churches in the area, there are houses of worship for members of the Jewish faith. Some locations within a 30 minute drive from Walt Disney World include:

Orthodox: Services for tourists may be available at the Lower East Side Restaurant (8550 Palm Parkway, Lake Buena Vista), which is within walking distance from Downtown Disney. (It is advised to call ahead to confirm the minyan, however.) Another option is Chabad of South Orlando (7347 W Sand Lake Road, Orlando).

Currently, Chabad of South Orlando is in the process of raising funds to build a Mikvah, but for now, the nearest one is in Maitland, Florida (a 45-minute drive from Disney). It is available by appointment only.

If you are traveling during Pesach, there are vacation homes that be fully kashered for your needs.

For those who wish to keep kosher during their visit to Disney, we cover kosher dining here.

There are also some Jewish-specific elements at Walt Disney World at different times of year. At Chanukah, you will find the menorah set up at most resort check-in desks, along with a menorah in the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing lights. There is a Chanukah storyteller in Epcot during the holidays. Many years there is a sukkah set up in the walkway between the Amaze and Imagine parking lots at Epcot for Sukkot.

Also, I’d be remiss to mention Judaism without directing you to Todd Perlmutter’s great article about the Best Chanukah Ever on his trip to Walt Disney World.

Islam

The three main needs that come up as questions among Muslim guests are dietary accommodations, prayer locations, and concerns about being singled out based on appearance.

Information about dietary concerns and keeping halal at Disney can be found here. In short, contact Disney in advance of your stay for table service restaurants and accommodations can be made available. There are also many off-property options for dietary needs.

Even right off Main Street USA, there are quiet places that can be used for prayer. (Photo by Julia Mascardo)

Finding places to pray in the parks can be a bit more problematic. Some guests have reported luck visiting Guest Relations at the front of each theme park to ask for suggestions for quiet, out of the way prayer locations, while others simply try to find a place out of the way on their own. Here are some suggestions or places where I have seen people praying at different times in the park.

Magic Kingdom: For a park with such high attendance levels, there are a surprising number of locations to get away from the crowds. On the right side of Main Street USA approximately halfway to the castle, there is a small side “street” that does not get much in the way of traffic and is a great place for quiet. Also, to the area to the right of Space Mountain, there is a small resting area. Other good locations include parts of counter service restaurants (like the Tomorrowland Terrace) when they are not serving but still accessible for the general public.

Places off the beaten path, like this small resting area near Space Mountain, provide a place for prayers. (Photo by Julia Mascardo)

Epcot: By its design, Epcot is the easiest place to find places for prayer. Many Muslim guests already know about the area in the Morocco pavilion where you can pray in relative peace (and prayer rugs are available at the adjoining store). If you are in Future World, a good location is the area outside of the bathrooms along the right side of the Imagination pavilion. It is a wide, open area, but with minimal foot traffic. I have seen individuals praying there undisturbed.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: With the current closures of so many different locations, there are a lot of areas with little going on. It is also difficult to predict where good out-of-the-way places will be once the park is reimagined into whatever it will become. For now, the location right outside of where the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow used to be is a good option. (Currently, it is the entrance to the “Soundstage Lounge“, which might also be an option as it is expected to be “lightly attended” with next to nothing inside of it.) Depending on time of day, the area just to the right of the restrooms outside of Lights, Motors, Action is also lightly traveled.

Animal Kingdom: One of the design features of Animal Kingdom is little alcoves hidden throughout the park. Many of the paths around the Oasis and the Tree of Life have quiet resting spots. There are also quiet corners of the building at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, which have the added benefit of being indoors.

The best advice I have seen is to look at park maps in advance and don’t be shy about asking a cast member if there is a place nearby where you could pray in quiet. Cast members are trained to assist with all sorts of guest concerns and will do their best to assist you.

While in Epcot, make sure to visit the small museum in the Morocco pavilion, which includes many items like the Fatima jewelry shown here. (Photo by Julia Mascardo)

I have seen many questions online from Muslim guests wondering if they would experience any sort of discomfort from people around them by wearing their desired clothing to preserve modesty. With Orlando International Airport now offering non-stop flights from Dubai, and with the growth of Islam in the United States, the number of Muslim tourists at Walt Disney World has increased. To maintain modesty, I have seen many Muslim women wearing everything from full-cover swimwear at the resort pools to hijab to burqa in the parks. I’ve also seen Catholic nuns in their habits, Mennonite women in plain dress and prayer caps, Jewish men wearing yarmulkes, and Buddhist monks in saffron robes enjoying all that Walt Disney World has to offer. Walt Disney World is an incredibly accepting place of people from all walks of life, and no one should feel any sort of concern coming to visit because of their religion.

Other Religions and Spiritual Paths

There are a variety of religious and spiritual houses for all faiths in the Orlando area. For Buddhists, the largest temple in the area is the Guang Ming Temple a short distance from Orlando International Airport (6555 Hoffner Avenue, Orlando). If you are Hindu, the Maa Durga Sri Sai Baba Temple (11414 S Apopka-Vineland Road, Orlando) offers events throughout the year a short distance from Downtown Disney. For Sikhs, the Gurdwara Nanaksar temple is located at 2480 N Hoagland Blvd. in Kissimmee (down 192 East from Kissimmee). Wiccans and Neopagans can network for local events through the Circle of the Sublime Elm or through Mystic Grove at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando.

For those who keep with vegetarian or vegan diets, whether out of personal preference or belief requirements, Disney is very accommodating. Many counter service and all table service restaurants have vegetarian options, and many table service locations can also accommodate vegan requests. (For example, see Emily Woesthoff’s articles about vegan dining at Walt Disney World.) Outside of Walt Disney World, you can find many types of restaurants to meet different dietary needs as mentioned above, and including Jain-friendly meals.

No matter what your religion, or no religion at all, Walt Disney World can be an ideal vacation location. It really is a small world after all, and everyone who comes to this place is certainly welcome.

Sometimes I need a vacation after my vacation to Disney. Up at the crack of dawn for rope drop, running from one end of the park to another for fastpasses and character meets, staying up late for the fireworks or even the Kiss Goodnight; It can really tire me out sometimes. Luckily for me, all […]

Sometimes I need a vacation after my vacation to Disney. Up at the crack of dawn for rope drop, running from one end of the park to another for fastpasses and character meets, staying up late for the fireworks or even the Kiss Goodnight; It can really tire me out sometimes. Luckily for me, all I have to do is take a breath and realize that this IS a vacation. I can go at a slower pace and not spend all day, every day in a park. The resorts and Disney Springs nee Downtown Disney area have just as much to offer if you merely look.

After a few days of hitting the parks hard on our last trip, we decided to slow it down and spend a day enjoying our favorite resort area: the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. The night before our “break” we checked with the front desk at our resort for reservations for horseback riding at the campgrounds. They had two openings so we signed up.

My husband and I had wanted to go horseback riding for quite a while; It was part of my bucket list in fact. We had researched places in our home state to go, but why settle for an ordinary horse, when you could go horseback riding on a Disney horse? It just seems even more magical.

The morning of our ride we slowly moseyed our way over to the Wilderness Lodge for breakfast at Whispering Canyon (a real hoot of a time), then decided to walk over to the stables. It was a nice morning and we still had plenty of time before our scheduled ride. Words of Wisdom: even if you think you have plenty of time, do not dawdle, the casual walk turned into a frenzied fast pace hustle. There was construction going on and we had to back track to the Lodge and take a bus. What could have been a 15 minute walk now had turned into a 10 minute walk followed by a 20 minute wait for a campground bus. Once the bus arrived and we were on our way to the stables, we started to relax. It was going to be fine; we still had 30 minutes before we were supposed to be there for the obligatory safety lesson.

We got off the bus when we saw the stables and followed another couple over to that area. However, once there we couldn’t find any horses. These were all ponies. Now we had no idea where we were supposed to be going and panic started to set in again. Luckily the “ranch hands” in that area were able give us directions and call over to the correct stables and let them know we were on our way. Back to the bus stop and some more waiting for another inner loop bus.

Howdy Partners

By the time we finally arrived at the correct location, we had 5 minutes to spare as we walked up to the horse corral. Seems you need to go to the building across the way for registration and weigh in first. We both were starting to sweat now as we speed walked to the building. There was, of course, a family in front of us who were just inquiring about the program and pricing. After not so patiently waiting for them to leave, we registered and were sent back to the corral just in time to have a helmet thrown our way. We had missed the whole safety lesson. Being the first time either of us had been on a horse, this frightened me a bit. But it was our own fault, so we saddled up.

It was explained to me that I was going to have to keep my horse back from the one in front of us during the ride, as my guy liked to “tailgate” and the other horse really didn’t like mine. That rider and I just looked at each other with dread. I spent most of the ride worrying that I was going to invade the leading horse’s personal space and make him angry. My husband was behind me on a horse that liked to do his own thing and munch on vegetation along the way. He had to continually try to keep him on the trail and out of the weeds. For the most part, the horses are all trained to follow one after another with little guidance from the rider. There also are two trail guides who accompany the group in case a rider has some issues. The trail is mostly through the wooded areas of the campgrounds where other guests are not permitted. The experience was not as relaxing as I imagined it would be, but I think if we would have not gotten lost and arrived on time, we may have felt differently.

Overall, I don’t think horseback riding is something I would want to do all the time. My butt is not meant to spend 45 minutes in a leather saddle. But, being able to go horseback riding on a Disney horse…something I would encourage everyone to try at least once.

Where:Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds, located at the campground’s main entranceWhere it is not: the pony stables by Trails EndWhen: every day weather permitting; 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm
*Reservations are recommended and can be made up to 30 days in advance by calling 407-WDW-PLAY. There are only 20 riders maximum per time slot.
* Riders must be 9 years and older, 48” tall and up, and weigh less than 250#.
* Cost is $46 per person.
* No double riders.
* Closed toe shoes are required and long pants are recommended.
* Purses, cameras, backpacks, etc. are not permitted. Lockers are provided.
* Arrive 30 minutes early for weigh in (purely confidential) and safety training.

Earlier this year, Disney discontinued two of their behind-the-scenes tours at the Animal Kingdom (Backstage Safari and Wild by Design) and replaced them with a new tour called Backstage Tales. The new tour a mashup of the two, weighted heavily with Backstage Safari experiences. If you’ve previously been on Backstage Safari, consider yourself covered. A […]

Earlier this year, Disney discontinued two of their behind-the-scenes tours at the Animal Kingdom (Backstage Safari and Wild by Design) and replaced them with a new tour called Backstage Tales. The new tour a mashup of the two, weighted heavily with Backstage Safari experiences. If you’ve previously been on Backstage Safari, consider yourself covered.

Bird food

A key difference between the old tours and the new is a change of the participation age limit. Backstage Safari (which, not surprisingly, took place backstage) had an age requirement of 16. Wild By Design (which was an on-stage experience) had an age 14 requirement. The new Backstage Tales allows guests as young as 12 years old to participate. I took the tour with my 15 year old twin daughters.

Disney used standard-sounding boilerplate language when they described why the tour was changed — something along the lines of “due to guest feedback and demand.” While I’m sometimes suspicious of the real motivation behind comments like that, I can assure you that when answering questions on the Disney Parks Moms Panel, we did indeed get many questions from guests requesting behind-the-scenes educational experiences for their younger children. The reduced age requirement is terrific news for budding veterinarians and zoologists who want an early look at the inner workings of animal care at the park.

The tour consists of seven parts:

Introductions and Getting to Know You

Visit to the Aviary (Pangani Forest Trail area)

Visit to the backstage rhino and elephant habitats

Break time and snack, with presentation by animal care specialist

Visit to the animal nutrition center

Visit to the backstage area of Conservation Station, including an animal operating room

Visit to the backstage komodo dragon habitat

Introductions and Getting to Know You

This tour starts early, 7:30am. While younger teens will enjoy getting to see the backstage areas, they will almost certainly NOT like the early hour. Theoretically, you should be able to get an “early character meal” bus from your resort to the Animal Kingdom, but I wouldn’t risk it. If you’re going to take this tour, plan to get to the park with your own car or via a taxi or Uber. Also note that the food cart outside the park gates may not be open when you arrive. You should grab breakfast at your hotel prior to leaving for the tour.

Guest check-in takes place just outside the park gates, toward the left as you face the park. There’s a bit of housekeeping when you arrive. Adults must sign waivers for themselves and any children in their care. Also, IDs are checked for adults. All guests are issued name tags and audio headsets that make it easier to hear the guide’s narration.

Your guide will introduce him or her self, giving a brief synopsis of where they’re from and their history with Disney. They will then ask the guests to introduce themselves, giving their name where they’re from, and some other bit of information. On various tours, I’ve been asked to tell my favorite Disney character, my favorite ride, my favorite animal, or what I’m looking forward to about the tour.

Once the business is out of the way, guests pass the park gate touchpoints using their admission media. (I was going to say swipe their tickets at the turnstile, but that’s so 2013.)

Visit to the Aviary (Pangani Forest Trail area)

The first stop on the tour is at the Pangani Forest Trail aviary. Along the way, the guide will share stories about the history of the Animal Kingdom park. Some of these are the same as what I encountered when I took the Wild By Design tour in 2014. Photography is allowed on the AK park paths and in the aviary, which is a public space.

At the aviary, we were greeted by a bird care specialist. He discussed the nesting and feeding habits of many of the species housed at the Animal Kingdom. A highlight for several guests was an opportunity to feed the birds by tossing mealworms to them. Guests who chose to do this were offered gloves, if they wanted to use them. The mealworms made our group extremely popular with the birds, making this a terrific opportunity to get photos. The feeding also made it easier to see that all the birds at the aviary are banded with identification tags. We learned from the keepers that every bird is located and counted every day.

Visit to the backstage rhino and elephant habitats

After the aviary, we slipped behind the scenes and boarded a van to take us to the rhino and elephant barns. Before getting in the van, we were asked to put away our cameras. Most folks just slipped them into their bag or pocket. I was wearing a large DSLR and just put the lens cap on, which seemed to satisfy the guide that I wasn’t covertly snapping pictures.

At the rhino and elephant barns, we were met by a large mammal specialist who described some of the training the animals receive to facilitate their medical care. We were also welcome to ask as many questions as we wanted about life on the “savannah,” work at the Animal Kingdom, animal breeding, or anything else we could think of. The barns are spartan and much more zoo-like than the wooded areas that guests see inside the park. Backstage it’s mostly iron and concrete. The animals are given some “toys” and distractions, but the barns are primarily a business area. While at the barns, we did see elephants backstage getting cared for, but all the rhinos were out for viewing in public areas. This will vary daily depending on the needs of the animals and the facility.

Visit to the backstage area of Conservation Station, including an animal operating room

When you visit the public areas of Conservation Station (the building in Rafiki’s Planet Watch at the end of the Wildlife Express train ride), you may see animal care specialists performing procedures on creatures from behind a glass wall. On the Backstage Tales tour, you get to go into one of those rooms and see the medical equipment up close. We learned about the different types of tools used to examine different size species and got an overview of the areas of expertise of the cast members that work at the Animal Kingdom.

During our visit, we happened to see part of an examination of a sedated fennec fox. This is one of my daughter’s favorite animals, so she was in awe. You may or may not see a live animal procedure during your tour, depending on the needs of the facility.

Visit to the animal nutrition center

After another brief van ride, we stopped at the stop animal nutrition center. This is almost like the kitchen for a large restaurant. There are delivery bays for fruits and vegetables — from the exact same vendors that provide human food for the parks. The produce must meet the same exacting specifications as the food for the guests. We also got to see storage areas for hay and specially prepared pellet-style nutritional supplements for some specials. Additionally, there were freezers for the meat fed to carnivores.

The main room of the nutrition center features several work stations where staff have “recipe books” with precise measurements of food to be delivered to each animal each day. These were “plated” into individual storage containers for transportation to the feeding stations throughout the park.

A particularly interesting area was a shelf full of enhancement items to make the food more interesting for the animals. This included things like jam, peanut butter, and ground spices, which are periodically added to some animal foods to keep them interesting.

Break time and snack, with presentation by animal care specialist

Near the nutrition center, we visited a classroom area in the backstage education building. We were given an opportunity to use the restroom. Then we were provided with snacks (rice krispie treats) and given souvenir metal Animal Kingdom water bottles, which we could fill from a bottled water cooler.

While we snacked, we were visited by a conservation specialist. Our specialist spoke primarily about Disney’s efforts to support the wild sea turtles near the Disney Vacation Club resort in Vero Beach, Florida. We learned about turtle reproduction and migration patterns. This talk didn’t have much to do with the Animal Kingdom park itself, but it was a good opportunity to learn about Disney’s dedication to conservation issues, and to get out of the heat for a few minutes.

Visit to the backstage komodo dragon habitat

Our final stop was the backstage habitat of the Animal Kingdom’s komodo dragons. We watched a dragon trained to be step onto a scale to be weighed. When the dragon performed the desired behavior, he was rewarded with a “fuzzy,” a frozen baby mouse. The behaviors of the dragons, and all the animals, is completely voluntary. They are rewarded for compliant behavior, but they are never punished for non-compliance.

At the dragon habitat, as at every stop, we were allowed to ask as many questions as we wanted about animal care and behavior, Animal Kingdom operations, or staff training. The Backstage Tales tour is particularly nice because it’s one of the few behind-the-scenes opportunities for guests under the age of 16. If you have a child interested in a possible career in animal care, this is a unique chance to see what their future might be like. In my opinion, the price is reasonable for the amount of time and personal attention you get from the professional staff.

The Details

The price is $90.00 per person, plus tax. All ages pay the same price. Disney Vacation Club, Annual Pass Holder, or Disney Visa Holder discounts may be available. Inquire at time of booking.

Theme park admission is required and not included in the price of the tour.

There is a 48 hour cancellation policy. You will be charged the full price of the tour if you no-show or cancel less than 48 hours before your tour.

The tour takes place from 7:30am to about 11:15am daily. The tour may not be conducted during holidays and during special events.

The tour takes place substantially outdoors, rain or shine. Come prepared for the weather.

Open to guests ages 12 and up. Guests ages 16 and up will need to provide photo ID. Children under age 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Reservations must be made in advance, over the phone. Call 407-WDW-TOUR (407-939-8687).

Photography is not allowed during backstage portions of the tour. You make take photos during the on-stage portions of the tour.

Meet outside the gates to the park 15 minutes prior to start time.

Guests are given audio headsets to better hear the guide while walking through the park.

Have you been on the Backstage Tales tour? Is this something you’re considering for you or your kids? Are there any questions you have? Let us know in the comments below.